I'm not sure why, but lately I've been getting no more than a chapter (or less) through pretty much every book I've been picking up in this genre, and putting them straight back down, disappointed. So many of the more popular books right now come across as badly edited (typos, verbal diarrhoea, awkward sentence structure), amateurish to the extreme, boring, samey, or just plain bad. It's getting hard to find something good to read. Maybe I've become more choosy or discerning as I get older, or maybe self publishing - which I do think is a great idea - is filling the market with mediocre stories that people lap up regardless, or something else is at play. Whatever it is, it's getting frustrating.
Which is why I am so thankful for writers like Robin (and a handful of others in the genre); writing stories properly constructed, with original thoughts and ideas. Creating characters that you can identify with rather than ones that baffle you with their idiocy or repeated, unimaginative reactions to endlessly regurgitated tropes.
Thank the gods for stories like this one, in which I can laugh, I can dream, I can identify. Instead of just waiting for that moment when the ex-girlfriend shows up to screw things up without anybody actually sitting down to talk about it, or a ridiculous misunderstanding makes both leads act like complete imbeciles, or the characters become so unlikable you just want to throw the book out of the window, or an obstacle that most people in real life would deal with intelligently creates endless chapters of unnecessary, poorly written angst.
I can't stomach those types of books anymore, but this one had me smiling. The writing is effortless to read; it's not clunky, overly verbose, trying too hard, or trying too little, it just works. The characters are likeable; people I would have no problem being friends with, or at least understanding. The story - though very simple - is well executed. No scene feels pointless or jarring. This book isn't going to set the world on fire, but it works within its field more than most. It delivers what you expect it to deliver. I'd give 5 stars, but I reserve 5 stars for books that not only entertain me, but books that blow me away, hit every mark, and tick every box.
Suffice it to say, want more books like this one.